US embassy cable - 05DHAKA2535

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 002535 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KISL, PGOV, BG 
SUBJECT: COUNTERING RISING ANTI-USG SENTIMENTS 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary. Widely publicized allegations of USG abuse 
of Muslim prisoners and the Koran have aggravated strong 
anti-USG attitudes in Bangladesh.  Although less intense 
than in many Muslim countries, negative attitudes about the 
USG in this historically friendly country permeate virtually 
all social sectors.  See paras 5-7 for current and proposed 
outreach efforts.  End Summary. 
 
New Fuel on the Fire 
-------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Anti-USG sentiments in Bangladesh peaked during the 
war in Iraq, when even liberal elites opposed the use of 
force to evict Saddam Hussein.  The media were uniformly 
negative.  The editor of one generally pro-U.S. newspaper 
told us marketplace and social pressures forced him to join 
the anti-USG bandwagon.  The publication of photos of Saddam 
in captivity was condemned as disrespectful to a former head 
of state and a violation of the Geneva Convention.  Now, 
alleged USG abuse of the Koran triggered the biggest anti- 
USG demonstrations in Dhaka - up to 40,000 persons - since 
the Iraq war, with a coalition of Islamist groups promising 
the "mother of all rallies" on June 17. 
 
3. (SBU) In March, the arrest and eventual deportation of an 
illegal 16-year-old Bangladeshi girl in New York for 
allegedly talking in a chat room about being a suicide 
bomber evoked widespread criticism.  MFA objected to the 
arrest on "humanitarian" grounds," while Bangladeshis in 
general cited the action as an example of USG "paranoia" 
about Muslims and terrorism. 
 
4. (SBU) Widespread ignorance and skepticism of USG policies 
and the way Americans treat Muslims provide a fertile 
breeding ground for anti-USG attitudes.  The prevailing 
folklore heard in letters to the editor and many other fora 
includes: 
 
A) "You can't get a student visa if your name is Mohammed." 
- A Bangladeshi student at the American Center. 
 
B) "If a woman wears a burqa, she won't get a visa." - A 
Bangladeshi who claimed this was why his aunt was denied a 
visa renewal after originally having been issued when she 
applied without a burqa. 
 
C) "Americans lack morals and respect for their elders. 
They like to put old people into nursing homes." - 
Bangladeshi university instructor. 
 
D) "American teenagers can do whatever they want and, once 
they turn 18, their parents push them out of the house;" and 
"American people live only for themselves and not for their 
families.  They don't like other religions." 
--  Bangladeshi university students at the American Studies 
Festival. 
 
E) "Americans like to interfere with the internal affairs of 
other countries;" "the Bush Administration disregards its 
treaties;" and "America disregards institutions it created 
like the United Nations." -- Bangladeshi military officers 
at the National Defense College and the Bangladesh War 
College. 
 
Reaching Out 
------------ 
 
5. (SBU) Our outreach program focuses on explaining USG 
policies and correcting false perceptions of American 
actions and attitudes.  Recent highlights include: 
 
A) The visit to Bangladesh of a U.S. Navy Muslim chaplain. 
His positive characterizations of Muslims in American 
society carried special credibility.  After meeting with 
senior imams in Dhaka, one told us that the chaplain's Islam 
"was more pure because he chose to embrace Islam, whereas 
all the Bangladeshis around the table were born into it and 
took it for granted." 
 
B) "America: The Real Story" is a PA presentation for 
prospective Bangladeshi students in the U.S., and others, 
that addresses common misperceptions about American society 
and in particular the condition of Muslims in post-9/11 
America. 
 
C) America Week in Khulna, the latest stop on the annual 
Embassy road show to district capitals to explain to, in 
this case, an estimated 15,000 visitors the breadth of USG 
activities, particularly on development, in Bangladesh. 
 
D) An English language fellow is starting at the Madrassa 
Teacher Training Institute, and scholarships have been 
awarded to madrassa students to learn English and who use 
the American Center library as part of their program. 
 
E) In connection with bilateral military training exercises, 
U.S. military units have undertaken school construction 
projects, provided medical treatment in villages, and 
conducted joint civil affairs training programs. 
 
F) PA programmed Shehab Ahmed, a city councilor from 
Hamtramck, Michigan and the first elected Bangladeshi- 
American official, to speak in Dhaka and his native Sylhet 
about the American political system and his success as a 
Muslim in a majority non-Muslim constituency.  His 
descriptions of local government authority and prerogatives 
resonated deeply in centralized Bangladesh, and his ability 
to communicate in Bangla made him our most successful 
speaker in the past two years. 
 
G) AID is planning another tour for local journalists of AID- 
supported projects. 
 
6. (SBU) Looking ahead, we need to accelerate the targeting 
of "younger, broader, deeper" audiences, and specifically to 
program more speakers, especially those who can speak 
credibly to Bangladeshi audiences about Muslim life in 
America and the actual situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
We look forward to the anticipated return this fall of the 
U.S. Navy Muslim chaplain and the visit in August of the 
Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey, a Bangladeshi- 
American woman.  We are also pursuing an International 
Visitors Program for moderate Bangladeshi religious leaders. 
 
7. (SBU) We are particularly concerned by the sharp decrease 
in the number of Bangladeshis studying in the U.S. since 
9/11 due primarily to apprehensions about American attitudes 
towards Muslims.  The UK, Canada, and especially Australia 
report sharply increased visa demand.  We need initiatives 
and resources to reverse this trend. 
 
8. (SBU) The steady growth in the number and impact of 
broadcast media is an important opportunity for mass 
outreach.  In addition to enhancing placement and interviews 
with these channels, we need to enhance their journalistic 
professionalism. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
9. (SBU) Anti-USG attitudes and activities are also a by- 
product of Bangladesh's increasingly assertive political 
Islam.  Extremist Islamist groups that are becoming 
increasingly critical of the BDG and its main Islamist ally, 
Jamaat Islami, have jumped on Koran abuse allegations as a 
chance to flex their political muscle on an issue no BDG 
could challenge.  An important adjunct of extremist Islam is 
innate suspicion of anything Western or non-Islamic.  One MP 
told us that in his district imams have started telling 
Friday prayer sessions that Bangladesh is "in turmoil 
because of this Christian constitution we have.  If we had 
God in our lives, there would be no problems.  God can come 
only through a Sharia government." 
 
10. (SBU) Therefore, there is a clear overlap between anti- 
USG attitudes and extremist Islamist perceptions.  Both, 
however, pose important direct and indirect threats to core 
USG interests. 
 
CHAMMAS